


to be with you

by benditlikepress



Category: NCIS
Genre: Birthday Cake, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Fluff, Tali is 6 this week <3, very mild reference to miss rona
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24772369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benditlikepress/pseuds/benditlikepress
Summary: The night before Tali's birthday, Tony hears strange noises coming from the kitchen.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	to be with you

**Author's Note:**

> my contribution for tali's birthday challenge on tumblr :)

The first thing Tony was aware of when he woke up was something poking at his nose.

He opened one eye to find it still pitch-black outside, but before he could adjust to the lack of light something poked him again. A weight on his chest. And then, finally, a little scratch on his cheek.

"Hey, get outta here. This is our bed, not yours."

He tried to pull the blanket over his head but soon realised the weight he could feel on his chest was actually the full weight of the cat, tangled in the sheets, looking for his attention.

"Yours is over there! Do you see me climbing all over it? Hm?"

The cat pressed his forehead against Tony’s hand harshly, looking for attention, and Tony sighed as he relented into giving him a stroke.

By the time the cat got sick of that and began to try to worm his way under Tony’s arm onto the bed, he realised that the bed was empty (save for four-legged exceptions). Before he had time to react he heard some kind of mechanical noise coming from the kitchen. Checking the time with a sigh he stumbled to his feet, fending off cat paws, to investigate.

He pulled a sweater over his head as he exited the bedroom, soon realising that what he could hear was the unmistakable sound of an electric whisk at nearly 1 in the morning.

Ziva was stood at the counter-top, surrounded by paper bags and measuring apparatus. The electric whisk had just been abandoned, metal prongs sticking up in the air. Her hair was tied messily up away from her face and she had one hand on her hip: he could only imagine the expression on her face as she stared down the mixing bowl in front of her.

He approached her from behind and wrapped his arms briefly around her waist - evidently she'd heard him coming, as her only reaction was to place her hands over his own and squeeze them before he pulled away.

"Sorry, did I wake you? I thought you were asleep."

"Nope. Somebody had other plans."

“What’s wrong?”

“Simba just started poking me for being asleep on my own pillow. Remind me who’s bright idea it was to get a cat?”

“Yours.”

“C’mon, I can’t be blamed for that. Tali knew I was half-asleep when she asked.”

Tali had been bugging Tony for a cat pretty much since she’d learned how to speak English. They'd compromised on adopting an older cat, on the understanding that they sleep most of the time. Tony, of course, hadn't realised that by 'sleep most of the time', Simba would mean 'sleep on your pillow most of the time'. He wasn’t sure why he got singled out for that kind of special treatment.

“She is a master manipulator as well as a 5-year-old, yes?”

“ _6_ -year-old, as of… 47 minutes ago.”

"I cannot believe how fast time has passed."

“I know. We don’t even look old enough to _have_ a 6-year-old.”

The amused look Ziva gave him encouraged an instinctive grin on his face, but when his cheeks moved he thought he felt a tinge of soreness from where the cat had been clawing at him. He lifted his hand to it.

“Do I have something on my face?”

Tony felt over his cheek before Ziva dragged his hand away, moving his face and holding it to the light. He couldn’t help but smile again in spite of the pain when she pressed a kiss over it and scrunched her face affectionately as she let go.

"You are being dramatic. I think it is a sign he loves you."

"Yeah, I'll bet. What are you doing up, anyway?"

“Yoga.” Ziva pulled a quick, sarcastic expression and looked pointedly at the mixture in the bowl in front of her. Tony dipped his finger in the bowl and licked it clean.

The slap to the back of his head probably should've been expected.

"You aren't allowed to do that."

"Gibbs gave me permission when we spoke earlier."

"You spoke to him?"

"Yes. He has finally worked out Zoom. Or at least he has found somebody to set it up for him.”

"What did he want?"

"To wish Tali a happy birthday. And for me to give you that."

"Sure he did."

Ziva raised her eyebrows in challenge, not backing down as she tipped some baking powder into the bowl and stirred it. Tony cracked first, laughing a little in disbelief until she looked away with satisfaction.

"Y'know, we ordered a cake."

"I know. But it is not coming until the evening. I thought it would be nice to have a small one to have with lunch."

"I never saw you being such a pushover."

"I am not - she didn't ask."

"So you're just a soft touch, then."

"Perhaps. I just want everything to be perfect tomorrow."

"It's today, technically. But it will be. I know it sucks we can't do everything we'd want to, but she's been spoiled like hell."

"It is our first birthday all together. I want it to be a memorable one."

"It will be."

She smiled a little at his insistence, and he could see that this was something she wanted to do for innocent reasons rather than because a burden of guilt at missed birthdays was hanging over her. Her eyes were bright and there was a lightness to her expression, so easily accepting his words.

"My mother used to stay up the night before our birthdays making cake like this. Tali used to always pretend she needed a glass of water to try and catch her in the act."

"I know who our Tali takes after, huh?"

"As if you would not be exactly the same, too."

"Well, that's true. Whereas you would never.”

“Absolutely not. Sometimes I would follow Tali when she woke up to see what she was doing, but that was just a coincidence.”

“Of course.” Ziva refocused on stirring the mixture with a frown as Tony thought about what she’d said. “Girl after my own heart, huh?”

“Oh yes. The two of you would have been quite the pair.”

“You think she’d have liked me?”

“That is an understatement - I can picture her talking about you. Harassing me about you, rather. Asking me why I have not married the handsome American yet.”

“Why _haven’t_ you?”

"I think that is a question I could direct straight back at you."

"Well, if she really wanted to know. I'd say.. it's coming."

"It is, is it?"

"Mhmm."

"It only took us 15 years to get this far."

"I'm gonna go on record and say it won't be another 15."

"Noted."

A charged look passed between them, neither of them quite willing to be the first to look away. Tony eventually guided Ziva's eyes back to the cake mix and she went back to work, swallowing a smirk.

“So surprise cake is the David birthday tradition, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

“There a reason I didn’t get one, or..?”

“In spite of popular opinion, you are not, in fact, a child.”

“That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Ziva chuckled as she continued to stir the mixture, speeding the movement suddenly as though she’d seen something Tony hadn’t. He yawned at the sight of the physical exertion, drawing Ziva’s attention back to him.

“You’re tired. Go back to sleep, I am fine in here.”

“Where? The damn cat’s stolen my pillow.”

“Sleep on my side of the bed for now.”

“What use is your side of the bed if you’re not in it?”

Ziva went to sass him and then stopped as a smile invaded her face.

He pulled at her arm to turn her to face him and she dropped what she was holding onto the counter, wrapping her hands around his neck as he hungrily kissed her. He could feel the faint powdery residue of something like flour transferring from her fingers to the base of his hair but couldn't bring himself to be bothered as her tongue made its way into his mouth.

"You can be quite the charmer, Tony DiNozzo."

"It's what I do best.”

"I'm not so sure about that. Right now you are doing a great job of distracting me."

"Sorry, sorry. What can I do to help?"

"Maybe.. do you think this looks right?"

Tony looked down at the bowl Ziva was now holding in front of him, picking the mixture up with the spoon and allowing it to drop back down. He studied it for a few seconds, brow furrowed, before shrugging.

"I have no idea."

"I could not tell you the last time I baked anything. I am so out of my depth."

"I can't believe we were stuck inside for 2 months and neither of us learned to bake.”

"If you do not be quiet, I will tell you where this spoon is going to go."

“Someone’s got fighting talk at 1 in the morning.”

“What can I say – I am in a good mood.”

“Yeah?”

“It is Tali’s birthday, of course I am.”

He thought about telling her he’d worried about the opposite, particularly when he woke up alone, but he didn’t need to as he saw her register the look in his eyes and put a hand on his cheek.

“I know. I am feeling happy today, though. Happy to have made it here with you.” She waited for Tony’s reaction, continuing when she saw what he was certain was a twinkle in his eye. “I thought maybe I would struggle today. I had nose-marked it, actually, as something I might find difficult. But I am just feeling very.. grateful. To have you both.”

“That’s very sweet and I’m glad to hear it, but it’s actually ear-marked.”

“How reassuring it is that you never change, hm?”

He bent down to kiss her again and this time he felt her smile against his lips. She pushed him away lightly with the back of her hand on his chest as she picked up her phone and scanned through the recipe before looking back at the mess on the counter.

“This was a bad idea.”

“Come on, hey. We’re gonna do it and it’s gonna taste great. What’s next?”

“We need two cake tins.”

Ziva used the back of her flour-y hand to push hair out of her face, and Tony thought how attractive it was to see her like this. Maybe an opinion to save for another time, he added as an after-thought.

Evidently he lingered on it for too long, as Ziva's eyes got drawn back to him once again. This time she rolled her eyes, without a hint of malice. Seeing straight through him. "I do actually want to get this done, Tony."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You were looking at me."

"OK, I'll look at the wall if that'll help you control yourself around me."

"You are so- just find the tins, please."

"Yes ma'am."

"You realise the quicker this is done, the quicker we can go back to bed."

"I'm counting on it."

Tony ducked down with a grin into the cupboard where he'd accumulated a strangely large amount of baking implements over the years, digging through boxes of muffin cases and rolling pins.

A noise from down the hall had them both stop in their tracks. Tony’s hands stilled in the cupboard as the footsteps got closer.

“What now?” Ziva hissed at him as he held his finger to his lips to quieten her. She put the bowl back on the counter and turned so her back was against it, covering some of the mess. Tony got to his feet next to her.

“Follow my lead.”

She nodded, confused, at his quiet, confident voice, and when Tali finally appeared at the doorway they both had a smile plastered on their faces.

“Hey baby, it’s _way_ too late for you to be up.”

“Why are you awake?”

“Simba woke me up poking me in the face.”

“He likes your bed.”

“Uh-huh, I know he does. But I like it too.”

Usually something like that would make Tali laugh, but instead she rubbed her eyes with the toy she was holding in her hands.

Ziva had, discreetly, turned towards the oven to pre-heat it, but Tali noticed the movement and tracked her with a frown.

“What’s ima doing?”

“She’s.. doing a favour for the birthday fairy.”

“There’s no birthday fairy.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes. Why hasn’t she got me anything on my other birthdays?”

“Because.. the birthday fairy only comes on your sixth birthday. It’s supposed to be a secret until you wake up.” Ziva eventually responded while shooting Tony a look.

“That’s not true.”

“OK, well, we’ll see in the morning, won’t we?” Tony took over at Ziva’s silent insistence, smile in place. “But in the meantime I think you should go back to sleep as quick as you can. Just in case there _is_ a birthday fairy.”

Tali still looked sceptical, but eventually nodded. “Will you tuck me in?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight birthday girl.” Ziva bent down to kiss Tali’s forehead before Tony directed her back down the hall and into bed, where she got in without complaints and was fast asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The cake mix was heading into the tins when Tony got back, and he began licking the used spoon while Ziva watched him.

“What?”

“I am never listening to you when you say ‘follow my lead’ ever again.”

“She’s back in bed, isn’t she?”

“Oh yes, problem solved. Now we have to make something from the _birthday fairy_?”


End file.
